


Ken and Ralph Dibny: Brother's Keeper

by jayofmo



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2019-02-11 03:37:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12926520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jayofmo/pseuds/jayofmo
Summary: Based on the new incarnation of the Elongated Man from the Flash TV show with inspiration from Secret Origins #30, here's a story about Ralph Dibny and his brother Ken. One of these men is an upstanding citizen in his community, a leader who inspires people to be better. The other is Ralph Dibny.Note: This was written before the show clarified Ralph's family and living situation, so it made it clear that Ralph only has his mother and grandmother in his family and that he had a separate apartment. I was working on the information I had at the time. ... So it's an AU where he had a supportive brother.





	Ken and Ralph Dibny: Brother's Keeper

“Yeah, so, turns out the last name _Dibny_ comes from _D’Abene_ ,” Ken explained, “which literally means ‘from Abene,’ which was a castle in Normandy.”

“Yeah, I don’t care,” Ralph sighed. “I asked for help with boxes, not ancestry.”

Ken Dibny grunted as he put the box in his car.

“Just trying to make conversation that’s not about the… you know.”

“Yes, I know,” Ralph sighed as he slid the last box into Ken’s back seat. He’d seen the newspaper on the floor detailing how police detective Ralph Dibny had been caught forging evidence in an attempt to convict a man of stabbing his wife. He was lucky that just losing his job was the end result.

“So… you got an office you’re going to live out of,” Ken sighed as he began to drive towards the site.

“Yeah, why not?” Ralph replied. “Detective work is what I do, and if the CCPD won’t let me do it for them, I’ll do it for myself.”

“You know, you could just come home to Waymore. Mom and dad would happily put you up. Pretty sure you can find a job. No one’s going to care about what went down there.”

“Exactly,” Ralph said with a smirk. “The town of people who think the Empire State Building is a giant grain silo won’t care about a charge of perjury.”

“Why do you have to be like this?” Ken went on with a deep sigh. “I know, you don’t want to feel like a failure, but...”

“You’re telling me I actually _am_ a failure.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“No, I interrupted you.”

Ken huffed and kept driving.

“Look,” Ralph said after a few minutes of silence, “I’m sorry I’m being so dismissive, it’s just I worked so hard to get out of Waymore and I’m not going back after one mistake.”

“Just one?”

“There might have been a couple other mistakes. The point is, I can’t just go back to square one if I can help it.”

“There you go, was that so hard to say instead of insulting your entire hometown?”

“Yes, yes it was.”

Ken rolled his eyes as he found a parking space.

“So, where’s the place?”

“The fourth floor. Well, it’s the third floor after the ground floor.”

“I don’t suppose that there’s an elevator?”

“I hope so.”

 

After an hour, Ralph’s belongings were moved into the office. As it was, mixing the working and living areas wasn’t ideal, but it seemed to be manageable.

“Well, looks like I’m all moved in,” Ralph said with a slight air of dissatisfaction.

Ken nodded. “Well, you know, if you need anything, I’m just a phone call away.”

“And a few hours from Waymore.”

“Good luck with the detective agency,” Ken said. “Hope it takes off.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Guess, I’ll get going then.”

Ken turned to the door.

“Hey, Ken,” Ralph said as Ken touched the doorknob, “thanks.”

“Anytime, brother.”

 

“The prodigal son returns, huh?” Ken asked as he picked up Ralph from the train depot.

“I just thought it’d been awhile, why not go back home for a visit?” Ralph replied with a grin on his face.

“You look a little different,” Ken said as they got into the car.

“I lost some weight,” Ralph admitted.

“Making sure you’re in your best shape for the ladies, huh?”

“Oh yeah,” chuckled Ralph. “How’s Janet doing?”

“She’s great, a little disappointed you missed the wedding, though.”

“My goldfish was sick.”

Ken chuckled. “Good one. So, next year is an election year and I decided to run for mayor.”

“Hey, nice ambition there, bro!”

“Yeah. Want to be my campaign manager?”

Ralph started.

“Huh?”

“You’d be perfect for it. You really know how to butter people up, talk a big game.”

“But I got my detective agency in Central City.”

“And how much business do you have? Just move back here already and help me get elected.”

“No way, Ken. I told you five years ago: I’m done with Waymore.”

“So why’d you come back?”

“To visit you guys,” Ralph replied in surprise. “No hidden agendas or anything, just wanted to see my family again.”

“Okay.”

“Anyway, I also got a second job I’m really excited about.”

“Really? How well does that pay?”

“Let’s not focus on that, but it comes with a suit, free medical, and use of the company car. I’m working with a group researching metahumans.”

“Oh,” Ken said with a disappointed sigh. “Right, Central City and its metahuman problem.”

Ralph looked over to Ken. “Problem?”

“Nearly every week, you hear some story about how some new wackjob with crazy superpowers hurt a lot of people. What a place to live.”

“But you also have metahumans like the Flash helping people,” Ralph countered.

“You wouldn’t need the Flash if you didn’t have the bad metahumans. I’d prefer to just stick it out in my little hometown without wondering if Captain Cold is going to freeze the local school over.”

“Captain Cold wasn’t a metahuman.”

“You get the point.”

“So, you’re basically saying all metahumans are trouble.”

“I’m just saying that without them, the world would be a lot safer.”

Ken stopped at a red light. Ralph glanced over at the local bank and saw two men with guns running out wearing pantyhose masks carrying large bags.

“Hold on here, Ken,” Ralph said and hopped out of the car.

“Ralph, what are you doing?” demanded Ken, but then he saw the robbers. “Ralph! Don’t be a hero!”

Ralph tied a pale gray mask around his face.

“It’s what I do,” he replied before running off towards the robbers.

“RALPH!” Ken yelled.

He watched in shock as Ralph walked fearlessly up to the robbers and grabbed for their bags. One of them fired at him.

“RALPH!” Ken yelled again.

The bullet stretched Ralph’s flesh back, tearing his clothes. From his back extruded an elongated dome of flesh, stretching back into a point before it snapped back to normal, flinging the projectile back at the shooter, hitting him in the leg. Ralph used this moment to punch the other robber, knocking him out. Grabbing the bags of money in one hand, Ralph elongated his arm, reaching back into the bank. A moment later, he retracted his arm to its normal length, his hand now empty.

Ralph turned and got back into the car as a police car arrived.

“Okay, let’s go,” he said, taking off his mask.

“What the hell happened?” asked Ken, who had been staring in surprise.

“Oh, yeah, kind of wanted to tell you,” Ralph said with a sarcastic air, “I’m a metahuman now. Took a life-changing bus ride one day.”

“So, you mean...”

“Yeah, is it so hard to talk about metahumans without insulting your own brother?”

“I’m sorry, I...”

“It’s okay,” Ralph chuckled as he watched the police arrest the two robbers. “I’ve said worse in the past. And after all, at least Waymore’s finest got here in good time.”

Ken drove forward.

“So… my little brother… is a superhero.”

“Yep.”

Ken thought quietly as he drove to his home. He parked, then turned to Ralph immediately.

“I _need_ you on my campaign now!” he exclaimed.

“Ken…” groaned Ralph. Saying no would be something he’d need to get used to.


End file.
